Add your voice - and show that people power can win the day

CLIVE SMITH: More people in Portsmouth simply means even more problems

People power. Two words that sum up what can happen when members of a community unite in a common cause and force decision-makers to think again.

Residents in Hayling Island are certainly hoping they can change minds at Hampshire County Council as they campaign against plans to close the household waste and recycling centre on the island.

An online petition to save the tip has so far got 750 names, while local politicians have put aside party divisions to show how strongly they all feel about this issue.

Meanwhile Havant MP Alan Mak has also given his support and says he will lobby key decision-makers at the county council.

We hope their protest does not fall on deaf ears. Because surely the county council bigwigs can see that Hayling is a unique location. When they look at a map of provision of tips and geographical coverage, they should not forget that there is a single road off the island to the mainland.

If the tip in Hayling shuts down, then residents face a return trip to Havant – which could take up to 90 minutes on a busy day.

That is hardly an incentive for people to do what we’re all encouraged to do – take our waste to recycling centres.

In fact it could lead to fly-tipping as people decide not to make the circuitous journey to Havant and find a hedgerow or quiet lane instead.

The county council’s plan to shut the Hayling tip may be about saving money. But this is a well-used site, with residents saying there are queues at weekends because it’s so popular.

With a consultation set to end on May 25, we urge as many people as possible to add their voices to the campaign – and show that people power can win the day.